Month: September 2023

Ukraine belongs in the European Union, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Monday during her visit to Kyiv. But she added that the country needed to do more to fight graft. “Reform results in the areas of judicial reform, and media legislation are already impressive. But there is still a long way to go in the implementation of the anti-oligarch law and the fight against corruption,” Baerbock said. Baerbock also said that Germany will provide an additional $21.44 million in humanitarian aid, bringing Berlin’s additional aid to a total of $408 million this year. The German foreign minister warned that …

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Leaders of nine small island states turned to the U.N. maritime court on Monday to seek protection of the world’s oceans from catastrophic climate change that threatens the very existence of entire countries. The island states are asking the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to determine if carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by the oceans can be considered pollution, and if so, what obligations countries have to prevent it. “This is the opening chapter in the struggle to change the conduct of the international community by clarifying the obligation of states to protect the marine environment,” said …

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U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said Monday that Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain facilities have pushed food prices “sky high” in many developing countries. Speaking to a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk said the spike in prices has taken “the right to food far out of reach for many people.” He specifically highlighted the situation in Somalia, saying the country has long depended on wheat from Ukraine and Russia and that the breakdown of the grain deal “was particularly damaging.” The Black Sea Grain Initiative allowed …

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Climate change is sparking human rights emergencies in numerous countries, the U.N. rights chief said Monday, stressing the need to fight the impunity of those who “plunder our environment.” Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council, Volker Turk pointed to recent examples of the “environmental horror that is our global planetary crisis.” He described visiting Basra, Iraq, where date palms once lined canals, but now “drought, searing heat, extreme pollution and fast-depleting supplies of fresh water are creating barren landscapes of rubble and dust.” “This spiraling damage is a human rights emergency for Iraq, and many other countries,” he …

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A 25-year-old foreign student has been arrested in Norway on suspicion of espionage, including illegal eavesdropping through various technical devices. Norway’s domestic security agency, known by its acronym PST, told Norwegian media that the man, who was arrested on Friday, was charged in court on Sunday with espionage and intelligence operations against the Nordic country. The man, whose identity and nationality haven’t been disclosed, has pleaded not guilty in initial police questioning. Norwegian authorities haven’t said which country the man was allegedly spying for. “We don’t quite know what we’re facing. We are in a critical, initial and vulnerable phase …

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More than 50 world sites hope for inclusion on the U.N.’s coveted heritage list at a meeting opening in Riyadh Sunday, while some incumbents, including Venice and Kyiv, face the risk of a downgrade. UNESCO, the United Nation’s educational, scientific and cultural organization, keeps the world heritage list, which it says is a reflection of the planet’s cultural and natural diversity. The agency meets once a year to update the list, the inclusion on which is seen by many countries as crucial for tourism and the ability to source funding for the preservation of sites. Conversely, countries are eager to …

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to reassure Ukraine on Sunday that it will have continued support from its Western allies. Russia, however, just had local elections in four Ukrainian areas it illegally annexed and Moscow appears determined to solidify its gains. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details. …

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Suspended Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales has resigned from his post after a kiss scandal tarnished Spain’s victory at the Women’s World Cup. Rubiales announced his resignation Sunday in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “After my swift suspension by FIFA, and the rest of the cases building against me, it is clear that I cannot return to the post,” Rubiales said in his statement. Rubiales kissed star player Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia. Spanish …

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